Brooklyn Nine-Nine Officially Picked Up By NBC!

The yearly slaughter is well underway and it has become a time of year that should perhaps become an official holiday. There’s a bit more sharpening of the ax to do this year though, and series are dropping like flies. And, while there is always a fair bit of groaning and heated protest about one show or another, when it was announced that FOX was pulling the plug on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, things were a little different. The news managed to become a world-wide trending topic on Twitter for a start, as fans and celebrities cried foul.

It wasn’t even hours later that the internet was buzzing with news that other outlets were potentially looking to provide a new home to the show.

The show heads into happy news territory with the season finale, and the shock and dismay of being pulled from the schedule didn’t last long. It’s been announced now that the show will be picked up by NBC, with showrunner Dan Goor helping to spread the news on Twitter.

Hey everyone, just wanted to say no big deal but….
NBC JUST PICKED #BROOKLYN99 UP FOR SEASON 6!!!
Thanks in no small part to you, the best fans in the history of the world!

While many may see the cancellation as rather a shock, considering the show’s success in terms of ratings and zeitgeist-injection, the move to NBC isn’t difficult to understand as the show is produced by Universal TV. In fact, NBC Entertainment chairman was quoted as saying that he’d regretted letting the show get away ever since it sold to FOX.

As far as the initial cancellation by FOX goes, though it seems surprising at first glance, there’s a web of calculations involved, some perhaps having more impact than others. There’s a rundown at The Hollywood Reporter here, which gives some of the finer details of big studio machinations, but it ultimately comes down to ownership and FOX‘ push toward a lot of sports while having a primetime programming window that is an hour less than the competing networks.

CR: John P Fleenor / FOX

In the end, FOX is in the middle of a sell off of many of its assets to Disney, which means that all of its decisions have a lot more to them than simply looking at ratings numbers. Oddly, whatever algorithm is currently in effect has also managed to lead FOX to decide to revive Last Man Standing, a year after that show was pulled by ABC, which resulted in a similar outcry, but obviously no result… until now.

Perhaps most interesting about all of this news is that this year has already seen so many shows pulled, but it’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine that causes such a stir. Something about this crew of goofballs has really struck a chord, and that’s down to a cast that probably surprised a lot of people.

To have things turn around and land a 13-episode renewal a day after being pulled makes for a story that is unlikely to be upstaged no matter what else happens as we head toward fall. While that’s obviously a shortened order, I have no doubt that episodes will be added to back end once the show returns.

Marc Eastman is the owner and operator of Are You Screening? and has been writing film reviews for over a decade, and several branches of the internet's film review world have seen his name. He is also a member of The Broadcast Film Critics Association and The Broadcast Television Journalists Association.

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